Major Ballot Measures

Major Ballot Measures

Measure

Yes

No

Reporting

Voter Qualification

81.5%

18.5%

100%

State Highlights

Senator Barack Obama easily carried Iowa, the state where his presidential ambitions took flight with his success in the Democratic caucuses in January. He received more votes on Tuesday than any presidential candidate in the state's history.

Senator John McCain alienated some voters with his outspoken criticism of agricultural subsidies, especially those for ethanol.

Senator Tom Harkin, a liberal Democrat, did not face serious opposition in his quest for a fifth term. Mr. Harkin easily defeated his Republican opponent, Christopher Reed, a fiscal and social conservative.

Mr. Harkin emphasized his seniority, his work as chairman of the Agriculture Committee, his success in expanding civil rights for people with disabilities and his efforts to secure more money for biomedical research.

In the Second District, which includes Iowa City, Representative Dave Loebsack, a freshman Democrat, defeated Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Army veteran and an ophthalmologist in private practice.

In the Fourth District, which includes Ames, Representative Tom Latham, a seven-term Republican, turned back a challenge from Becky Greenwald, a seed company employee active in Democratic politics. She supported a timetable for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and access to health care for all Americans.

Mr. Latham voted against the $700 billion bailout for the nation's financial system, and he criticized Ms. Greenwald for saying she would have voted for it.

Three other incumbents — Bruce Braley and Leonard L. Boswell, both Democrats, and Steve King, a Republican — handily defeated their opponents as well. ROBERT PEAR